The Philadelphia 76ers now find themselves on the brink of elimination after losing Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Toronto Raptors, 125-89. A large part of the Sixers' struggles has been Joel Embiid, who had an underwhelming performance once again. He finished with just 13 points, six rebounds, and an assist. After the game, Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley called him out for his lethargic play over the last two games.

Embiid has been battling some type of virus since Game 4 (which the Sixers also lost), but Shaq said he should not use that as an excuse to play poorly, adding that the All-Star center needs to find a way to play through whatever illness he has if he wants “The Process” to end with a championship.

Meanwhile, Barkley said that Embiid forcing himself to play despite his illness isn't helping the Sixers at all. Instead, he drains the energy out of the team, and that's one of the reasons why they lost the last two games.

After the game, Shaq even said that he doesn't see the Sixers forcing a Game 7 with the way Embiid has been playing.

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Aside from his 33 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks in Game 3, Embiid has been a non-factor in the other four games of the series. He played through a nagging knee injury in Game 1 and then the stomach flu in Game 2.

Then before Game 4 began, Embiid already told Sixers head coach Brett Brown that he wasn't sure if he could play and although he eventually suited up, he only managed to score 11 points while taking only seven shot attempts.

During the regular season, Embiid averaged 27.5 points and 13.6 rebounds.

The Raptors can eliminate the Sixers in their own home floor on Thursday, and that will likely happen if Embiid is still less than a hundred percent. Yes, his effort and willingness through various injuries and ailments are remarkable, but that might be doing the Sixers more harm than good.